What once felt clunky now appears as delicately handcrafted animation, reproducing more than commands; they communicate affection. What was bad ai feels now precious. What I thought was empty only reveals my ignorance. The game is rich, and everything has meaning. It is an example of great environmental storytelling. Every moment reminds me of something I’ve played before, and I’m starting to see its enormous influence on the entire industry. The level design is extraordinary, giving a feeling of grandeur while being constrained to just a few biomes, giving the player a sensation of freedom through a linear experience, creating empathy and delivering profound emotion with a handful of polygons. It narrates a beautiful story with just a few words, in languages even the characters don’t understand. There is probably a part of ICO in almost every great game we play today. I can’t imagine what those Souls and Borne games would be like without the work of Ueda and his team.

ICO is a masterpiece that took me twenty-five years to understand.